Now That's What 411 Calls Music Volume 12: The One That Rocks But Is All Opera-ie
Posted by Tollah on 05.08.2006
Prince, Meat Loaf, Judas Priest, AND Foo Fighters? Good lord.
Hey T-Fanz. I don't usually make many mix CDs. When I first learned about this feature I went off and made the "Ultimate Rock 'n' Roll Mix CD" for this column. However, I went on a bit of a mix kick and ended up making a few others. After trying to write about the aforementioned CD I just got bored of writing "this song is good because..." over and over. I decided to go with the "Ultimate Rock Opera" instead. Here you'll find 10 (there was supposed to be 16 songs per CD but most of these tunes are really long) of the most overblown, over-the-top rock songs of all time.
1. Foo Fighters - In Your Honour (3:50)
An intense way to kick off the first "side" of my CD (I've sliced my mix in 2 halves to give it an old school feel). The Foos might seem to be a strange choice for a rock opera CD, but if you listen to this track you'll understand why I picked it. The drums are brutal but, what makes the song truly great is Dave Grohl's vocals. He screams like a man possessed all the way through.
2. Muse - Butterflies & Hurricanes (4:58)
Another more recent tune and in the same inspirational vein as the first song. This song has everything - an orchestra, lyrics about stepping up and "being the best", soaring vocals and a crazy ass piano breakdown in the middle.
3. Aerosmith - I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing (4:59)
This song gets a lot of unwarranted stick for being a cheesy love song rather than the rocker that Aerosmith became famous for. However, that doesn't change the fact that it's a damn lush sounding tune with some beautiful orchestral string processions (is "string processions" a real term?).
4. Judas Priest - Lochness (13:22)
It's a 13 minute song about the Loch Ness Monster.
5. Blind Guardian - And Then There Was Silence (14:07)
Ridiculously overblown song from a ridiculously overblown album, A Night At The Opera (not to be confused with Queen's album of the same name). Naturally, it's a great song. The Guardian are one of the best technical bands in the world so of course the guitars and drums are incredible. Lead singer Hansi makes full use of the opera he hired to make the album on this tune.
6. Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody (5:58)
"Side A" finishes with the apprentice, and "Side B" begins with the master. Everyone reading this has heard Bo-Rhap. Over the last 30 years, this song has been THE standard for overblown rock music.
7. The Who - Baba O'Reilly (5:08)
A classic in every sense of the word. A zany and very futuristic (for the time) synthesizer provides the background for a simple yet grandiose piano-turned-guitar riff, but it's the lyrics that make this song an epic. Pete Thownsend has never wrote better, and Roger Daltrey delivers the every line with style and class. "They're all wasted!"
8. Led Zeppelin - Kashmir (8:28)
Perhaps the most grandiose of the works of Led Zeppelin, this song is driven by a classic string section, while Robert Plant sings about travelling through space and sitting "with elders of a gentle race". A monster of a song.
9. Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell (12:00)
I actually put "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" on my CD, but that was only because I'd used "Bat.." on my last mix CD. In all honestly "Bat" is a superior track and quite amazing. From the superb into to the epic lyrics to Todd Rungren's mint guitar work and Meat's perfect vocal delivery, overblown rock music gets no better than this, folks.
10. Prince - Gold (7:20)
Prince's 2nd most magnumest opus after Purple Rain. It starts with an organ and Prince delivering inspirational lyrics like only He can. It builds brilliantly, subtlely introducing Prince's awesome guitar on the 2nd verse, bringing in back up singers on the second and then bursting into a sublime solo and a singalong climax. A golden way to end a golden CD.
